Container dispenser



April 1e, 1968 H. C. SNYDER CONTAINER DISPENSER Filed sept. 12, '1966 INVENTOR.

HERBERT C. SNYD/R ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,378,176 CONTAINER DISPENSER Herbert C. Snyder, Brockway, Pa., assignor to Brockway Glass Company, Inc., Brockway, Pa. Filed Sept. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 578,880 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-389) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cylindrical container having a dispensing opening at one end and an ejecting piston slidable therein. The piston has a tubular portion extending toward the other end provided with internal ratchet teeth and a plunger extends into the tubular portion and has a pair of liexible legs terminating in pawl formations which are biased outwardly and engage with the ratchet teeth to move the piston toward the dispensing opening. Yieldable means bias the plunger toward said other end of the container.

This invention relates to the container art and in particular to an improved container dispenser for repeatedly dispensing a predetermined measured quantity of a semisolid or semilluid substance.

Ordinarily, semisolid or semifluid substances such as ointments, jellies, creams, pastes and the like are not readily dispensed in accurately repeated, predetermined quantities from conventional containers. In current practice collapisble tubes are usually employed for containing and dispensing materials of this type. However, ejected quantities cannot accurately be predetermined or like quantities repeatedly ejected.

The present invention provides a disposable containerdispenser comprising a cylindrical or similar oblong container having a dispensing opening at one end and a piston member movable lengthwise therein. The piston member is actuated by a limited displacement plunger to eject a measured quantity of semisolid or se-rnifluid substance through the opening by manually depressing the plunger to advance the piston member a predetermined distance toward the opening. In one form of the invention a mushroom-shaped head is provided at the outer end of the plunger and resiliently deforms against the container to limit axial displacement of the plunger.

To dispense repeated measured, predetermined quantities, the container dispenser of the presen-t invention has axially extending ratchet formations disposed along opposite sides of the piston member together with flexible leg portions on the plunger which serve as ratchet pawls. The leg por-tions are biased toward the ratchet formations whereby, for each depression of the plunger, the piston member advances a distance equal to the predetermined spacing of the ratchet formations. The resilient tendency of the head to resume its mushroom shape provides a plunger retracting bias whereby the plunger retracts to its original position while the piston member remains advanced. Thus the piston member may be repeatedly advanced toward the opening in equal predetermined increments, the quantity of substance ejected being proportional to this incremental piston advance.

All of the parts forming the container dispenser of the present invention may be molded from plastic material to provide an inexpensive and disposable dispenser container.

Various other novel features of construction and advantages inherent in the ratche-t type container-dispenser of the present invention are pointed out in detail in conjunction with the following detailed description of two typical embodiments thereof considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing depicting these en1bodi ments wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

FIG. l is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of ont form of a container dispenser constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken about on line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the piston element of the device of FIGS. l and 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a guide sleeve element of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional View of another form of the container-dispenser of the present invention with a portion thereof in elevation;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken about line VI-IVI of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of an actuator employed in the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows the assembled parts of one form of the container-dispenser of the present invention comprising generally a cylindrical or oblong container 10, a piston member 11, a guide sleeve 12 and a plunger 13. The several parts are preferably molded from plastic material to minimize cost and to provide a disposable dispensing container although other materials may be utilized.

Container 10 is open at one end and has an outwardly projecting radial flange 15 at such end. The other end of container 10 is reduced to form a nipple which includes a dispenser opening 16.

Piston member 11, as illustrated in detail in FIG. 3, includes a piston head 17 and a diametrically reduced tubular portion 13 open at its distal end, the piston head having an outwardly projecting radial flange 19. Two rows of arcuate ratchet teeth Ztl extend axially along diametrically opposed interior sides: of tubular portion 18. The remaining interior arcuate sides of sleeve 13 between the rows of ratchet teeth form a pair of opposed channels 22 for purposes which will appear presently.

Guide sleeve 12, best shown in FIG. 4, comprises an open-ended cylinder 24 having a diametrically enlarged disl; 25 with a reduced opening 26 formed at one end thereof. Plunger 13 comprises a resiliently flexible mushroom shaped head 27 having a stem 28 projecting axially from its concave side. Stem 28 is bifurcated at the end thereof opposite head 27 to provide a pair of opposed resiliently ilexible legs or prongs 29 which iiare outwardly of stem 28 at their free ends as indicated at 30 to form ratchet pawls.

After the parts 11 and 12 are assembled in container 10 as shown in FIG. 1, legs 29 of plunger 13` are tiexed inwardly and inserted through opening 26 of sleeve 12 whereupon they may ex outwardly to engage in the opposed channels 22. Plunger 13 is then fully inserted within sleeve 18 until the periphery of head 27 bears against the outer lface of disk 25. Plunger 13 is then rotated and the pawl formations 30 engage the ratchet teeth directly behind piston head 17 whereby the plunger is restrained frictionally and resiliently against axial outward displacement.

In the preferred forrn, the frictional engagement between guide sleeve 12 and container 10 is sufficient to retain these parts in assembled relation although the engaged anges 15 and 25' may `be secured adhesively or in any other manner. The preferred length of the subassembly comprising piston member 11, guide sleeve 12 and plunger 13 approximates one-half the length of container lil and thus defines a chamber 32 within container 10 ahead of piston head 18 and in communication with dispensing opening 16. The substance to be dispensed may be disposed in chamber 32 prior to insertion of :he sub-assembly into container 10 or may be injected urto the chamber through the dispensing opening 16 after final assembly.

The form of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. through 7 consists of a three-part assembly comprising a container which may be identical to the container illustrated in the previous embodiment, having a flange and dispensing opening 16, together with a piston member and plunger 36, each of the parts being again preferably formed of plastic material. ln this embodiment piston member 35 includes a stern 37 and a piston head 38 at one end of the stem, the piston head having a radial flange 39. Stern 37 comprises ribs 49 forming a cross as viewed from the end, as seen in FIG. 6. Ratchet teeth 41 are provided along each rib 40.

Plunger 36, illustrated in detail in FIG. 7, includes a exible mushroom shaped head 42 and a tubular portion 43 which is axially split at its other end to form four resiliently flexible legs 44. The legs curve inwardly at their outer ends as indicated at 415.

To assemble the parts of this form of the containerdispenser, legs 44 are spread and stem 37 is inserted so that curved ends 45 form ratchet pawls which engage behind ange 39 as shown in FIG. 5, in position to engage the ratchet teeth. This sub-assembly is then inserted within the open end of barrel 10 so that the periphery of head 42 abuts against the outer face of flange 15, being retained therein by frictional engagement `with the interior of container 10. As in the previous embodiment, the preferred length of the sub-assem bly `approximates one-half the container length and defines, when assembled, a chamber 47 between piston head 33 and dispensing opening 16 for receiving the material to 'be dispensed.

To dispense a predetermined quantity of the semisolid or semiluid substance, in either form of the invention, nger pressure is applied to the mushroom head to flatten the same and advance the plunger axially along container 10. The pawl formations of the plunger initially engage the ratchet teeth to advance the piston member toward opening 16 and discharge the material through opening 16. The advance is limited by the degree of deformation of the mushroomshaped head, the periphery of which expands radially. The amount of deformation or flattening out of the head is proportioned to advance the piston head one or more teeth along the ratchet and predetermine the quantity of ejected material. Upon release of the head, the natural resiliency thereof causes the plunger to retract with its legs exing laterally to pass over to the next ratchet tooth. The piston member will remain advanced due to the frictional engagement of its radial flange with the Walls of the container and the vacuum seal created between the piston head and the material in the container.

Having thus described and illustrated two preferred forms of my invention, it will be understood that such description and illustration are by way of example only and that such -modications and changes as may suggest themselves to those skilled in the ar-t are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container-dispenser comprising an elongated container having a dispensing opening at an end thereof, a piston member slidable within said container and including a tubular portion extending toward the other end of said container and having rows of ratchet teeth along opposite sides of the interior thereof, and a plunger slidably extending into said other end of said container and into said tubular portion, said plunger having a pair of flexible leg portions terminating in pawl formations biased radially outwardly into engagement with said rows of ratchet teeth whereby manual depression of said plunger advances said piston member to eject material through said dispensing opening, and means yieldably biasing said plunger outwardly.

2. A container-dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said yieldable means includes a hollow convex head on the outer end of said plunger, said head being resiliently flexible with the periphery thereof engageable against said container to retract said plunger after the same has been advanced by manual 'attening of said head.

3. A container-dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said other end of the container is open and a guide sleeve is disposed in said open end, said tubular extending portion being axially slidable in said guide sleeve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,226,663 12/1940 Hill et al. 132--84 2,541,949 2/1951 Thacker et al l5555 3,256,894 6/ 1966 Sherman 222-209 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner. 

